SOUTH BEND, Ind. / KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's tennis team split their season-opening doubleheader on Saturday, competing ferociously but falling 6-1 against #20 Notre Dame on the road before shutting down the Valparaiso Crusaders 7-0 at West Hills Athletic Club.
The Broncos began the day with the match against the Fighting Irish, with WMU picking up some impressive wins in the process. In fact, Meika Ashby and Caroline Aleck recorded one of the most impressive doubles victories in Bronco history in defeating the 16th-ranked doubles pairing in the nation of Quinn Gleason and Monica Robinson. Ashby and Aleck won the sprint to six games against Gleason and Robinson, winning the match 6-3 to tie the doubles session at 1-1, but the Fighting Irish finished it off with a win at No. 3 doubles.
The Fighting Irish clinched the match victory with three straight wins to open singles play, but freshman Labina Petrovska proved to be a bright spot with a come-from-behind win at the No. 6 singles position. Petrovska dropped her first set 6-3 to Katherine White but rebounded with a big win in the second set, winning 6-2. Petrovska outlasted White in the third set super-tiebreaker, winning the set 10-7 to take the match for the first dual match victory of her career.
The match against the Crusaders proved to be much more fruitful for the Broncos, who opened things up by making quick work of the doubles session. The team of Tracy Kuhle and Ella Perinovic started things off with a shutout, defeating Cary Milanes and Morgan Paras 6-0 in the No. 3 doubles match. Barbare Eristavi and Yuriko Ono followed shortly thereafter, beating Megan Barthels and Michele Fredlake 6-0 in the No. 2 match to secure the doubles point for WMU. Ashby and Olivia Myers finished things off at No. 1, beating Paige Heuer and Kaitlyn Hamel 6-2.
The newest member of the Broncos Anastasya Reshetnikova earned her first win in the Brown and Gold at the No. 6 singles spot, easily besting Paras 6-1, 6-0 for her first career victory. Petrovska earned her second win of the day with by downing Fredlake at the No. 5 singles spot, winning 6-1, 6-2, and Ashby clinched the match victory with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Hamel at the No. 1 spot. Eristavi cruised past Heuer at the No. 3 singles spot, Kuhle downed Barthels 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4, and Myers finished off the match with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Milanes at No. 2.
#20 Notre Dame 6, Western Michigan University 1
Singles competition
1. Quinn Gleason (ND) def. Meika Ashby (WMU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Monica Robinson (ND) def. Olivia Myers (WMU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Julie Vrabel (ND) def. Barbare Eristavi (WMU) 6-1, 6-4
4. Allison Miller (ND) def. Tracy Kuhle (WMU) 6-1, 6-3
5. Jane Fennelly (ND) def. Ella Perinovic (WMU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Labina Petrovska (WMU) def. Katherine White (ND) 3-6, 6-2, 10-7
Doubles competition
1. Meika Ashby/Caroline Aleck (WMU) def. #16 Quinn Gleason/Monica Robinson (ND) 6-3
2. Jane Fennelly/Allison Miller (ND) def. Olivia Myers/Tracy Kuhle (WMU) 6-2
3. Molly O'Koniewski/Katherine White (ND) def. Barbare Eristavi/Ella Perinovic (WMU) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,4,5,6,3,1)
T-2:11 A-200
Western Michigan University 7, Valparaiso 0
Singles competition
1. Meika Ashby (WMU) def. Kaitlyn Hamel (VALPO) 6-1, 6-1
2. Olivia Myers (WMU) def. Cary Milanes (VALPO) 6-2, 6-3
3. Barbare Eristavi (WMU) def. Paige Heuer (VALPO) 6-2, 6-1
4. Tracy Kuhle (WMU) def. Megan Barthels (VALPO) 6-3, 6-1
5. Labina Petrovska (WMU) def. Michele Fredlake (VALPO) 6-1, 6-2
6. Ana. Reshetnikova (WMU) def. Morgan Paras (VALPO) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Meika Ashby/Olivia Myers (WMU) def. Paige Heuer/Kaitlyn Hamel (VALPO) 6-2
2. Barbare Eristavi/Yuriko Ono (WMU) def. Megan Barthels/Michele Fredlake (VALPO) 6-0
3. Tracy Kuhle/Ella Perinovic (WMU) def. Cary Milanes/Morgan Paras (VALPO) 6-0
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,5,1,3,4,2)
